1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based structures and microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based systems including at least one sensor.
This invention also relates to methods for fabricating such structures and systems, as well as methods for sensing using such microelectromechanical system based systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional sensor arrays that allow communication between integrated circuit chips are built into chips parallel to the substrate. For example, a typical free-space chip-to-chip optical interconnect may be based on two-dimensional CMOS imaging arrays and surface-emitting laser arrays. The two-dimensional CMOS imaging arrays are flip-chip bonded onto a semiconductor chip. The surface-emitting laser arrays are flip-chip bonded onto a separate semiconductor chip. The two-dimensional CMOS imaging arrays are then aligned with the surface-emitting laser arrays by vertically stacking the chips.
Planar chip-to-chip communication may be achieved by mounting the two-dimensional CMOS imaging arrays sideways onto the semiconductor chip. The surface-emitting laser arrays are replaced with either edgeemitting laser arrays or optical microelectromechanical system (MEMS) scanners. This arrangement allows for optical communication between chips that are coplanar, for example, arranged on a common back plate.